The two presidential candidates were as dissimilar personally as they are politically. Zeman is brash, with a self-advertised appetite for alcohol and tobacco. His health is a concern: he suffers from diabetes, which makes him walk with a cane. Drahos is

chain-smoking Mr Zeman has been president...since 2013...He has earned a reputation for eccentricity and political incorrectness...Notorious bon mots include tell children that smoking is "fine" as long as they start after the age of 27

The Ministry of Health is planning an information campaign this autumn to clarify questions surrounding a ban on smoking in Czech pubs and restaurants that came into effect at the end of May, the Czech News Agency reported.

Taxation of HNB tobacco products has not yet been decided at the EU level and the Czech Finance Ministry has yet to address the issue...HNB tobacco products are exempted from consumer tax in the Czech Republic which gives them an enormous advantage over

The Senate received a petition against the smoking ban...the petition’s goal is to repeal the absolute smoking ban in all pubs and restaurants, which have all reported a decrease in customers and are on the verge of bankruptcy since the ban went into eff

While a majority of Czechs supported the ban, some owners complained – as they have elsewhere in the world with the passage of similar legislation – about a potential loss of business. “We are a pub and most of our customers want to have a cigarette with